Planteneers puts texture first with new Culinary Balls concept

Planteneers has developed a new plant-based food concept that swaps meat and dairy imitation for contrasting textures, fillings and flavors.

The Hamburg-based ingredient specialist's Culinary Balls can contain up to three components: a base, filling and coating. A soft or juicy center can, for example, be paired with an aromatic filling and crisp outer layer.

• Planteneers' Culinary Balls combine up to three components, with bases, fillings and coatings used to create contrasting textures in a single product.
• Recipes can range from Mediterranean and beet-and-walnut combinations to sweet-savory varieties and fermented flavors including pumpkin kimchi.
• Planteneers has also applied the format to hybrid Kebab Balls containing beef or chicken alongside mushrooms, meat protein, pea protein and fiber.

“The special appeal comes from the contrast – crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, with a creamy filling,” said Dr Pia Meinlschmidt, Head of Product Management at Planteneers. “Multilayered textures are seeing continued growth in the confectionery space, and the same principle is increasingly also interesting for savory products.”

There is plenty of room to play with the individual layers. Planteneers has created a Mediterranean version using dried tomatoes, black olives and white beans, as well as an earthier combination of beets and walnuts.

Other possibilities move further away from familiar savory combinations. Pumpkin can be paired with apricot, curry and ground ginger, while fermented ingredients such as pumpkin kimchi offer another direction. Sesame, hemp and chia seeds can be added to the coating for extra texture.

The light mousse filling contains 40% vegetables and is designed to withstand freezing, thawing and baking. It can also be used separately in applications including spreads and other filled products.

Protein and fiber can be built into the recipes, while Planteneers is also targeting clean-label formulations. The company defines these as recipes with no declarable E-numbers and without certain additives, including preservatives, flavor enhancers and added flavors. Natural flavors and spice blends may still be included.

Planteneers has taken the same idea into the hybrid category with its Kebab Balls, which combine beef or chicken with mushrooms and meat protein.

A functional system containing pea protein and fiber is used to achieve the required texture, with kebab seasoning providing the flavor. The balls can be produced either filled or unfilled.

The approach is noticeably different from developing another plant-based burger, nugget or sausage. Rather than starting with the shape and eating experience of an animal product, Culinary Balls are built around what can happen across the different layers of a single bite.

That also gives Planteneers room to vary the format without changing its basic construction. The filling might be creamy, vegetable-rich or fermented; the base can deliver a different flavor and texture; and seeds can turn the coating into another distinct element.

Preparation is deliberately straightforward. Culinary Balls can be cooked in an air fryer and eaten hot or cold, with Planteneers targeting uses ranging from office lunches and food on the go to sharing occasions and mini-meals.

The company also sees the portion size as suited to smaller households, including the growing number of people living alone and senior consumers. Individual pieces can be served as a snack or combined into a larger meal, rather than committing the product to one particular eating occasion.

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